After Six Years Return
by AliasthePhantom
Summary: This is the first part of my series After Six Years, a flash-forward six years into the future of my characters Tidal the Fox, Sigma the Hawk and Arrow/Kali the Echidna, who make up Team DarkSword.  T because of violence, minor language and Arrow smokes
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Thief in the Night

"Pyro Unit," the radio crackled. "A known thief has been sighted in your area; you have the go-ahead to make an arrest."

"T-ten four on that one," I said, barely stifling a yawn. "Gotta hate how those thieves won't do anything before 10 P.M."

After shutting off the radio I staggered into the bathroom. Dunking my head in ice-cold water I keep for occasions like that. Instantly, steam filled the room. I felt better, but the fact that my pyrokenisis had raised my body temperature high enough to evaporate ice water meant that my emotions were running high tonight.

Less than a minute later I was straddled on my motorcycle, clad in full Nocturnus armor. Just to be safe, you never know what kind of weapons these kinds of people had. I swerved around a corner, and saw smoke billowing out of a window. Red smoke. My heart started pounding; I hadn't seen red smoke in what, six years?

"Alpha Wolf, you have a visual on this?" I asked just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Affirmative. Red smoke..." He mulled it over, his voice coming through the radio in my helmet. "Isn't that Team...?"

"We disbanded six years ago." I snapped, not letting Alpha Wolf finish asking his question. A breach of etiquette, but I did not want to hear the name of my old team ever again, unless I said it. "There is no Team DarkSword, as far as GUN is concerned; we never even existed."

"But I know better," Alpha Wolf said. "We all do."

I didn't respond, the way he reminded me that all of my superiors, subordinates, and equals knew about how I was once a member of Team DarkSword and accepted me anyway always quenched whatever flame I was nursing at that moment. I had explained that phrase to Alpha Wolf before, certain emotions cause my pyrokenisis to go haywire. Anger, sorrow, euphoria, and jealousy are examples of my 'flames.'

But that's completely off-topic. I gave myself a mental punch and got back to work, the radar screen had a red dot on it, and that was the target. In this case, the target was a rather elusive thief.

"Hey, Alpha Wolf" I began. "I've been meaning to ask you this since you dragged me out of bed to chase a thief."

"Why you?" Came the calm reply, and if he was there, his snarky rear end would be flaming. A mailbox exploded at the same moment, and I had nothing to do with it (I think).

"Yeah," I said. "Why me? Of all the people out here, why did you choose _me _to go after a thief?"

"I chose you because you're the only one who can catch this one," Alpha Wolf said, it was a big change from him shouting at me. Normally when he gets calm, it means there's going to be some speakers and/or eardrums blown out shortly afterwards.

"Alright," I started. "What can it do: Teleport; Mind control; Temporal, Dimensional or Spatial rifts; or something else?"

"Teleportation," Alpha Wolf began. "There could be more though, we have no way of knowing about any other Chaos-related abilities."

"Fortunately I'm sensitive," I muttered. I made one of my infamous split-second decisions; I swerved into an opening that led into a darkened parking lot. This parking lot happened to be the only way to the building with the red smoke, so I parked and ran up to the door. I started hammering on the door, noticed a sign that said 'out of town' and did the only other thing I could think of, I punched the door down.

Now, most people would _kick_ a door down, but I happen to be a Knuckles Clan echidna with short patience and a large temper. I received advanced training from the Nocturnus Clan echidnas, but that's completely irrelevant to my current situation.

I walked into the house, promising myself that this time I wouldn't forget to pay for the damages to the door. The stupid spikes on my hands had torn holes into the door, so even if I put the door's hinges back on the owners would know something had happened. No matter, there was a thief begging for the steel fist of justice upstairs.

"Arrow, leave money on the table for the nice people getting stuff stolen, burnt, and their door ruined."

I swore loudly as I _accidentally_ lit the couch on fire. Sometimes I wonder if Alpha Wolf was a pyromaniac or arsonist in a past life, but then I remember that I don't believe in reincarnation. After I successfully removed the flames from the couch I continued upstairs, where I saw a small anthropomorphic bird of some sort, probably a raptor, but it was dark, and if I switched to IR, night vision, or lit a fire I would alert it to my presence. I snuck up, removing my Locator and holding it in my hand. We can only target buildings, so my radar was targeting the building, not the person.

The thief spun around when I grabbed _her_ arm, okay, female. Nothing special. So why did my heart start pounding?

"Kali?" She asked. "Is that you?"

"I'm not Kali," I growled, putting my Locater on her arm. "Kali _died_ six _years_ ago! My. Name. Is. _ARROW_!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sigma the Hawk's Return

I probably shouldn't have lost it when the thief called me _Kali_, but when I hear my old alias, the name I took on to survive as a Nocturnus Echidna, I can't help myself. The resulting explosion blew both of us out onto the street. Before the thief hit the ground I noticed that she was fading into red smoke, fortunately the Locater went with her and she didn't finish the obscene hand gesture she was preparing. The next second I hit the ground and passed out for about a minute.

When I came to, my radio was buzzing. "Arrow, what's going on?" Alpha Wolf asked, I was rather touched to hear the concern in his voice and to know he was worried enough to use my real name. "Respond, please respond!"

"Alpha Wolf, this is the Pyro Unit." I began, pausing so if Alpha Wolf was going to have an outburst he wouldn't interrupt me.

"Oh thank the GODS you lived!" Alpha Wolf yelled, then he composed himself. "What happened? Our radar says you're clear over in the New Vegas sector! I thought the shrapnel from the explosion might've killed you and the force of the blast pushed you clear across the section!"

"I'm in full armor," I began, alerting Alpha Wolf to the fact that the shrapnel was harmless. "I transferred my Locater to the thief so we could track her. Sorry if you can't find me anymore, I _like_ it that way."

"If you lost that piece of equipment I swear I'll..." Alpha Wolf began, but then stopped. "What the—your vitals are? Arrow, are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm perfectly fine." I said, standing up and walking over to my motorcycle. "It must be Fritz again."

"Damn him!" Alpha Wolf shouted, and there was a ringing silence for a little, but I could hear the sounds of an office being torn apart, along with more swearing and Alpha Wolf shouting for the techies to get to work instead of playing Halo or whatever.

"Sorry Pyro," a new voice said. "It's Tech, I need to terminate the signal before the Colonel destroys the mike too."

"You guys play Halo?" I asked, there was a click and I realized I was on my own until Alpha Wolf calmed down. Oh well, I now knew where the thief was, but I had a suspicion of who she was. I could only hope I was wrong, but six years is a long time. Long enough for someone to turn into a thief, go back on a vow, or vanish completely. I can only hope six years isn't long enough for someone who never lies become a liar.

"Dear Chaos, what's gotten into me lately?" I muttered, climbing onto my motorcycle and starting it up. On my Radar there was a small arrow pointing to the New Vegas sector, fortunately I knew that it had to be the thief. My Locater is DNA coded, and I'm the only one who can operate it at all.

I drove straight for the New Vegas sector, breaking every speed limit along the way, but I'm a _Unit_, I'm _allowed_ to do stuff like that. I popped a wheelie when I jumped off a bridge so I could follow the Locater's Beacon more efficiently. I love my job.

Crap, off-topic again. The thief was going in for a landing, her wings stretched wide behind her. I recognized that way of flying. Oh Chaos, I was right.

The thief was my old teammate, Sigma the Hawk. That explains how she knew my old name, how she recognized me when I was in full armor, and the red smoke is a byproduct of Sigma's teleports! How could I have been so _STUPID_ and forget about that!

"SIGMA!" I shouted, and she turned to look at me.

"Wait a sec," Sigma began. "I know _Kali_ the Echidna, not _Arrow_ the Echidna. I just learned one of my teammates is _dead_ and you show up to arrest me for staying alive."

"When you put it that way I feel kinda bad." I said

"Really?"

"No. Who would?"


End file.
